Hughes Aircraft Company

The United States of America As Represented by the Department of Commerce

A Jay Palmer

Robin J Harvey

A method of remote sensing of water surfaces using laser beams of slightly differing frequencies. Laser radiation scattered from the water surface is collected and processed to determine the surface gravity wave and capillary wave spectrum and surface currents. Maps may be constructed using either land-based or airborne .increment.k-lidar stations.

Method of remote sensing of ocean surface currents

A method is disclosed of employing free electron lasing action at a first frequency to achieve gain in output power at a second frequency. In a broadest sense, an electron beam is driven with an electromagnetic wave at said first frequency in a first stage, having a first spatial period, to cause bunching of the electron beam. The electrons in the beam are oscillated with a second stage, having a second spatial period, to generate electromagnetic wave power from said beam at the second frequency. In a specific embodiment, the second frequency is near a harmonic of said first frequency. And in a particular implementation, the first stage is provided by a free electron laser having a first wiggler with a first spatial period, the second stage is a second wiggler having a second spatial period and a drift region is disposed between the first and second stages.

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Longmont, CO, United States of America

A Jay Palmer